Roodepoort SPCA inspector saves the day
Puppy saved from a life on the street
It took three days of patience, coaxing and pleading to save a puppy from a life on the street.
A concerned Witpoortjie resident recently alerted the Record about a puppy sleeping in a kennel on the sidewalk in Van Lill Street. “There is a kennel in front of the property with food and water bowls. Looks like the dog has been there a while,” the resident said.
The Roodepoort SPCA was contacted, and Senior Inspector Eric Taljaard immediately responded to the call. Upon arrival at the location, the puppy was found lying on the sidewalk, keeping a watchful eye on the new arrivals, and apparently already contemplating which way to run.
According to some of the neighbours, the puppy has been living on the sidewalk for approximately two weeks. They said that the dog’s owner was very sick, and when he went to hospital he sold the house and phoned the SPCA to take the three dogs. However, only two were taken by the SPCA, as the third one kept jumping over the wall and running away. The new owners of the house could not keep the puppy on their property, because they have three pit bulls who fought with and bit the puppy.
Taljaard confirmed that they had managed to take two of the dogs to the Roodepoort SPCA and that the third one kept running away. “We have tried quite a few times to catch this little one as well, but with no success,” he said.
The rescue operation was not an easy one, as the puppy did not trust any of the humans and took off running as soon as anyone tried to come near him. It took three days of patient coaxing with treats and food, an eight kilometre chase and playing the waiting game, before he could be captured and taken to a place of safety.
“I managed – with the help of one of the neighbours – to catch Lilly (named by Taljaard in remembrance of the place where he originally lived) on 17 March. It took us about an hour to gain his trust with a bowl of food before I could capture him. Unfortunately, there was an infected abscess, probably due to a bite, on the inside of his right rear leg. I loaded him into the van and took him to our veterinarian. He was admitted and is being treated for the injury.”
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Taljaard concluded by saying: “I just want to thank everyone who cared enough to report this incident, and tell everyone who was involved in the rescue that he is in good hands now”.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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